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Companies and associations are reacting to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's plan to codify net neutrality rules that would reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act.

The FCC says that Chairman Tom Wheeler's draft order to create net neutrality rules that would reclassify broadband Internet access under Title II has the legal footing it needs to withstand any legal challenges that telcos like AT&T and Verizon plan to launch once the rules come out.

As the cable industry assess the broader impact of strict Title II regulation of the Internet, one significant factor already appears likely: interconnection deals, such as the one Comcast notoriously carved out with Netflix last year, could go away.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's draft order to create net neutrality rules will apply all of the rules to mobile broadband networks for the first time. One of the practical effects of the proposed rules is that wireless carriers would have less flexibility to deploy "reasonable network management" practices on their networks. The rules would also put future uses of zero-rating and sponsored data programs under the microscope to ensure they are not harming consumers or content providers.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler made official what he has been hinting at for around a month: He will introduce a proposal to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act as part of an effort to craft net neutrality rules. Wheeler also clearly stated that the rules will apply to wireless networks.

Dish Network has been criticized for using two designated entities, which are essentially investment vehicles, to secure $3.33 billion in discounts in the FCC's just-completed AWS-3 spectrum auction. According to an investigation by the Wall Street Journal, while the investment structure for the entities is legal, it involves a complex web of investment partners, including a former FCC official.

Revenue from streaming video services jumped 175 percent between 2010 and 2013, from $1.86 billion to $5.12 billion. That massive rise in dollars being thrown at online video is part of the reason why raising the broadband speed bar in the U.S. to 25 Mbps is absolutely essential to continued economic growth, according to Internet Association President Michael Beckerman.

As has been widely expected, multiple media reports indicate that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will introduce a draft order to codify net neutrality rules that would reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act.

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